It's Pink !
by Arches67
Summary: "A little gift from John." Missing scene & episode tag to "Lady Killer".


From the moment I saw the trailer, I couldn't get over the PINK (seriously?) taser. I knew I had to write something about that… Here it is. Silly little thing. John/Zoe.

English still not my first language. Beta'd in French for story (Thank you Yellowstone69). Not beta'd for English, so I apologize for any mistake. Let me know, I will correct.

* * *

PoI PoI

* * *

John Reese was walking with a determined gait towards Zoe Morgan's home.

Since the Machine had given them Murphy's number, he had been edgy. He had seen the worst in his life; witnessed the most gruesome murders; killed in cold blood; almost lost his soul in the process; yet when a predator preyed on innocent women it was more than he could handle. He would gladly strangle the man with his own hands.

In the meantime, while Finch did his best to curb his most violent tendencies, they were setting the trap to take the man down.

Shaw was more than happy to participate to the operation. Of course, she probably would have been happier to help him strangle Murphy rather than having to dress up for a girl's night out.

Carter had –barely– refrained from asking how they got the intel... She knew he wouldn't tell her anything but she had also seen that their sources were good. So she had warmed up quite easily to the idea of having fun for one night, while Finch paid the tag. She was actually happy to get to "work" with John's accomplices.

John was starting to be a bit worried about what the three women would discuss after a few drinks…

It left Zoe. While he had no doubts that she would be glad to help, he was worried for her safety. He didn't even need to think about asking Shaw to be armed; he probably would need to make sure she didn't hide too many weapons under her dress. Carter would have a gun too, she had learned to come prepared to John's invitations.

As for Zoe... He knew she could defend herself. He didn't doubt that for a second. After all she did have a gun at home, although he got the impression that she didn't carry it around much. And he was pretty sure she could shoot. Zoe was a professional in all her undertakings. If she had purchased a gun, he was convinced she had learned how to use it. A night at the firing range together could prove interesting… But in the meantime he wouldn't let her go defenseless to a meeting with a murderer.

So he had gotten her a taser. While it would prove worthless in front of a weapon, he was sure she would be smart enough to use it at the right time. He just needed to convince her to put it in her purse. He had been practicing his speech since he had purchased it. He had gotten information out of seasoned criminals, convinced the most ruthless murderers; he knew he would be able to convince Zoe to accept it. Yet she could be quite unpredictable.

He admired her. More than admired her in fact. Their "wedding" had been fun. He had been able to get to know her better, discover other aspects of her personality. She had beaten the crap out of him at poker, had followed him drink for drink, cigar for cigar the whole week. Quite _the_ woman. It had inevitably led to other activities… And she was just as great in a bed as she was in her fixer job.

They didn't have a romantic relationship. No real dates, no arranged meetings. If they happened to meet or have time, they would sleep together, thoroughly enjoying it, but not turning into something where feelings were involved. Friends with benefits, more like "work partners" with benefits in their case, but it suited them both perfectly. Their lives didn't give them the chance for anything else. In any case the sex was great.

The last time he had seen her was actually at the Coronet, the hotel Finch had purchased. Their night in the Suite, after he had closed the case and saved Mira's life, had been the perfect happy ending to that number.

And now he was sending her into the lion's den. He still had some qualms about it, but explaining to Finch why he didn't want to involve her would be a bit embarrassing, although he was pretty sure that Harold already knew, or at least strongly suspected the relationship. And if Zoe came to learn that he hadn't wanted to involve her to protect her, she would probably dunk him. So back to the taser. She _would_ accept it, even if he had to resort to the last of his convincing methods; he would make sure of that.

He stopped at the stairs of the building, thinking back to the first day they had met. Zoe, barefooted, going up the stairs. He had understood in that moment what she did, and his burgeoning admiration had increased tenfold. Quite the woman indeed.

He climbed the stairs quickly and opened the door. He wanted to surprise Zoe, see her face when she would see him at her doorstep.

He knocked on her door. He heard muffled steps, bare feet on the floor from the sound of it.

While she didn't seem to know how to walk in other shoes than stilettos, she kicked them out as soon as she got a chance to. A few weeks ago, it had turned out to be a bad idea when she actually got a splinter on John's hard wood floor. Although, playing nurse on a grumpy Zoe had been fun.

She, of course, had turned down his offer to help, trying to get the splinter out alone and wiggling uncomfortably trying to reach her foot. Giving up on trying to propose his help, John had just stood watching her, his arms folded. Sitting on the couch, skirt up her hips, her right foot on her knee, bent over her sole trying to pry the little piece of wood out with her finger nails. It was just too much of a sight. John had lost it and burst out laughing.

She had shot him a murdering stare, then had given up, putting her foot on the coffee table. John had gotten the first aid kit from the bathroom and had sat on the couch, putting Zoe's foot on his lap. He had removed the splinter with so much care she didn't even twitch. He had disinfected the area, then for fun had put a Band-Aid on the foot. He was glad Zoe was on the other side of the couch; she had looked ready to hit him.

He had shot her a predatory smile. "I'll kiss it better now."

Taking the foot to his lips, he had put a soft kiss on the instep, then started placing butterfly kisses on her skin, going higher and higher on her body. The splinter had been soon forgotten in a battle of kisses and love making.

Zoe was looking at him frowning and John jumped slightly realizing the look on his face was probably betraying was he was thinking of.

"John…"

"Good evening, Zoe," he answered with a sweet smile.

Zoe waited. She didn't bother to ask how he had entered the building before getting to her door. He would probably give her a look clearly saying "you kidding?" But him dropping unannounced was unexpected. He usually called if he wanted to see her, be it for pleasure or for work. Showing up like that meant he probably had something to ask and didn't want to risk being turned down. But she'd make him sweat a little bit before she'd let him in. She loved playing with John…

"So you were in the neighborhood, saw the light…" she teased him, leaning against the doorjamb.

Surprised, John leaned his head to the side. "You're not letting me in?"

"You managed to get in the building on your own…"

"I've still got some manners; I don't barge in through women's doors," he answered with a smile.

"No, you just drop in uninvited…" Zoe let her eyes trail on the long silhouette. A sight for sore eyes… "… and assume I will let you in."

"I need to see you for a case," he explained, his face turning serious.

And from his look, he was worried. Giving up on her little game, Zoe opened the door wide and stepped to the side. "Please, come in."

John entered the room he knew well. It made him think of his place. Nice and pleasant enough, but nothing personal that would betray who the owner was. It actually felt relaxing. He removed his coat and folded it over a chair.

"Would you like a drink?"

"A beer would be nice, thank you."

Zoe came back with two bottles, not bothering with glasses and sat on the couch, knees folded underneath her. John sat on the other side, not wanting to be too close from her while they talked shop. Sometimes it only took a glance before they jumped on each other.

"So your mysterious source informed you of some new poor soul in danger?"

Zoe had given up trying to figure out how Finch and Reese worked, how they got their information. They had saved her life and she had seen them work several times. They were never wrong and it always ended well for the victim, so she could hardly complain. She was curious, yes, and she still tried to pry information from John when he let his control down, but so far she hadn't managed to get the slightest clue.

"Ian Murphy." John gave Zoe a picture. "He targets women on websites, stalks them, then… Well one of them is dead, another one is missing, so chances are the night stands are not just what they seem."

"A predator," Zoe summed up with a wince.

"We are setting up a trap to catch him."

"And you want me in?" Zoe asked surprised.

She was used to John calling for help, but she would never have thought he would put her on the front line.

"You won't be alone. Shaw and Carter will be there. Girls' night out, drinks on the house."

"So I get to meet your partners…" Zoe looked at her tall guest with a mischievous smile. "And you're not worried about where two or three drinks are going to lead our conversations…"

She burst out laughing when John actually winced.

"I'm in. Not letting an opportunity like that escape… Any chance you won't keep tabs on our phones?"

John shot her a reproachful glance.

"Yeah, didn't think you would. Well, be ready to hear things you don't want to hear…"

"Zoe, you are taking this with too much levity. This guy _is_ dangerous."

"But you won't be far…"

"Still... I know that Shaw and Carter can take care of themselves─" He stopped short when Zoe shot him a dark look. "I know you can take care of yourself too," he amended quickly. "That's not what I meant. They will have weapons. Shaw probably more than one… And I actually don't know if you can even use the gun you hide underneath the coffee table."

Zoe nodded with a smile. "You might be surprised."

"I'd love to see that," John answered wiggling his eyebrows. "But of course, that doesn't change a thing for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Did John think she didn't have a life? It was a good thing she worked alone and set up her agenda as she wished.

John got up, put a hand in the pocket of his coat and came back with a small black pouch.

"Zoe, I want you to take this with you. I can't let you go defenseless."

Zoe took the pouch and opened it. Her intrigued frown deepened into something darker, close to anger. John winced. He had thought it might be a problem, good thing he was ready.

"Zoe, please. The idea is to follow that guy if he invites you. I'll be close enough, and Shaw won't be far. Still, he seems to study his victims quite thoroughly. If he senses you're up to something, things can escalate quite fast."

Zoe's face was still as dark.

"This is not a weapon. Just a way out. You tase him and run as fast as your heels will allow. You might consider removing your shoes though. He won't be hurt. Shaw will probably take care of that part if I don't get to him first."

John was starting to run out of arguments. What was wrong with having a taser in a purse? If he had any say in it, he would make it compulsory for all women in New York. Predators aside, the danger was everywhere in the big city.

Zoe finally opened her mouth. "It's _pink_..."

John froze dumbfounded. That was the last comment he was expecting. He didn't have an answer for that. He had actually thought it was a nice touch to the weapon…

Zoe raised her eyes from the taser, shooting daggers at John.

"Pink! I can't believe it! John, how long have we known each other? Do you see me that girlish that you had to get me a PINK taser to make sure I would slip it in my purse?"

John opened his mouth but not words came out. Zoe was shaking with anger, and she had never been prettier. She sparkled…

"And this kind of pink! Do you realize it's the same one they use on sex toys? I'm pretty sure I have one this very same shade."

John's brain was having trouble keeping up. Zoe mad because of the pink color… Zoe glaring at him… Zoe and sex toys… His mouth talked without consulting him.

"You have sex toys…"

"Yeah, you know, for when you want the fun but not the company," Zoe brushing the comment aside as irrelevant, her eyes still on the taser.

"Zoe, tell me you are going to take that with you tomorrow…" John pleaded.

"Yes," Zoe relented.

"Good."

Without giving her a chance to move or say anything else, John went for her mouth.

_Talk about changing the conversation_... Zoe had a little startled scream of surprise when 6.2 feet of ex-agent pounded on her, but she soon answered eagerly. John was a great kisser.

* * *

PoI PoI

* * *

John was leaning against a car playing on his smartphone, casting a glance from time to time to the women inside the bar.

Zoe, Carter and Shaw were celebrating the end of the case, most certainly chewing the rag about him. Shaw was probably trying to get from Zoe the answers she hadn't been able to get from him on the roof. If they had wanted to keep a low profile on their relationship, it was over now.

He kept his hands busy on his game just to make sure he didn't open the link to listen in. The temptation was huge, but he could allow them some down time.

He saw Zoe looking at him one last time before saying goodbye to the other ladies. Carter left too, while Shaw rubbed Bear's ears, apparently intending on keeping him for the night. He'd need to watch out or she might steal his dog someday.

He straightened when Zoe came to his side. She slipped her hand in his elbow and they started towards his car parked a bit further down.

"I had the most interesting conversation with Samantha," Zoe informed him.

John raised an eyebrow. No one called Shaw, Samantha…

"Probably following up on the one we had on that roof…" John mumbled.

"Fishing, trying to find out who you sleep with?"

John winced. "She seemed to think I was sleeping with half the women in New York."

Zoe let her eyes trail the long body. John didn't seem to realize the effect he could have on women. "I'm sure they wouldn't complain."

John's lip twitched and Zoe patted his arm softly. "She figured the two of us the second she saw me. Anyway, she will keep it for herself. Of course, Joss knows too…"

Waiting for Zoe outside the bar had been a dead giveaway, even if the official reason was to walk her safely back to her place.

They stopped in front of the sedan and John opened the door of the car. "Thank you again for your help Zoe."

She raised her head to look at him and smiled. "You're welcome. It was nice helping that kid."

He helped her in, closed the door and went to sit behind the wheel.

"My place?" he proposed.

"Mine, please."

John turned his head slightly worried for a second before he saw the confident smile on Zoe's face. She wasn't turning him down; she just wanted him to go to her apartment. Fine with him.

They drove in companionable silence. They didn't need words.

They entered the apartment, Zoe kicking her shoes as soon as she was past the door. John hung his coat, then wrapped his arms around Zoe and kissed her softly. She let go of his lips and put her head against his chest, just enjoying feeling protected by his strong arms.

She took his hand, checking his knuckles. She was surprised he didn't bear any marks from the punch he had thrown on Wellington.

"Not hurting?" she asked anyway, softly rubbing the fingers.

"No," John answered raising a surprised eyebrow.

"He deserved it."

Zoe kept his hand in hers and led him to her bedroom. She sat him on her bed then sat on his lap.

"Girls' night was fun," she told him.

"We had it all wrong…"

"It happens. The most important is that everything turned out fine in the end."

Zoe gave him a light kiss.

"Which brings me back to another aspect of this case…"

She bent over to open the bedside table drawer. She pulled out the taser.

"You're still not forgiven for the color of this thing."

John had a light wince. He had hoped that was history.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked with a sheepish expression.

"Definitely."

John had only time to open his eyes wide when he realized Zoe was actually going to use the taser on him. He fell on the bed with a grunt as the electricity cursed through his body.

He woke to darkness, his hands bound. Momentarily disoriented he pulled on his arms to free his hands, but the cuffs held. Panic filled him as he couldn't make sense of what was happening. He was naked from the waist up, lying on a mattress, his hands were bound and a blindfold covered his eyes. _Zoe_! Where was she? He thrashed wildly trying free his hands, hurting his wrists in the process.

"John, calm down. You're gonna hurt yourself." Zoe's voice reached his hears. He heard her whispering softly, "damn".

She removed the blindfold from his eyes and put a pacifying hand on his chest.

"John, look at me. You're fine."

Free of the blindfold, pupils huge, his eyes wild, John looked at her trying to come back to reality. Seeing from his confused look that he had recognized her, she reached for the handcuff to free a hand.

"I'm sorry, John. It was supposed to be a game. I never thought I would trigger anything like this." Scared and angry at herself, Zoe lashed out at John. "Damn you. You're so secretive. You could have told me a bit about what you went through in your past; it would have prevented me from doing something this stupid." She bit her lips.

His right hand freed, John grabbed Zoe's shoulder.

"Zoe, easy." He locked his eyes with hers, breathing deep, trying to slow his heart down.

Zoe was shaking, tears pooling on her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" She still had her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating way too fast for it to be safe.

They remained silent for a while. John getting his breathing under control and Zoe clearing her eyes. He let go of the shoulder, and caressed her cheek tenderly, drying a tear that had escaped.

"I should have realized it was just a game the moment I saw you. You took the expression 'stepping into something comfortable' to a whole new level."

He looked at her body not hiding his admiration or lust. Zoe was wearing black lacy underwear, underneath a nightie that didn't hide anything. She was gorgeous.

"I didn't know you were into this kind of things."

Zoe shrugged slightly.

"Although I should have guessed when you mentioned the sex toys…" he carried on with an impish smile.

Still feeling a bit guilty for her actions, Zoe didn't answer. John felt bad. She was always so strong, so sure of herself. Seeing her this lost was heart breaking.

"Hey, I'm fine." He pulled her head down to kiss her tenderly.

"I just wanted us to have some fun. I never thought I would cause such a reaction." She placed a soft peck on his lips. "John, I know you won't talk to me about your past, I can accept that. I just never thought tying you up to a bed would dredge up bad memories."

"I'm fine, Zoe. I was disoriented for a moment, so it shook me a bit. I really wasn't expecting you to use that taser on me…"

"Creating a scenario is part of the fun…"

"Yeah, I know. I've done this before…"

Zoe's eyes lightened with pleasure at the opening. She took John's hand and moved it slowly towards the padded cuff, giving him the opportunity to pull out if he didn't want to be tied up. John only smiled letting her cuff him again.

"Show me what you can take," Zoe said as she straddled him.

"Show me what you've got," John answered with smoldering eyes.

* * *

John was trailing his fingers distractedly on Zoe's back, she was cuddling on his chest.

"Is there another color you really hate?" he asked.

"I'm not very fond of turquoise."

"Hum… Might be a bit difficult to find a turquoise taser…"

"Why would…" Zoe stopped short guessing the answer.

"Need to make sure you'll make me pay… again."

* * *

THE END


End file.
